A Russian court has rejected an appeal from US basketballer Brittney Griner. Griner had appealed over the nine-year prison sentence that she was given for possession and smuggling of drugs.
The 31-year-old player, who is a part of the LGBTIQA+ communities, was detained in Mid-February after Russian authorities alleged, she had been found with vape cartridges contained hashish oil.
Griner is a top player in the US WNBL and has played on the USA’s Olympic winning Basketball team. She was travelling to Russia to play with a local team during the WNBL off-season.
The failure of her appeal means she may be moved to one of Russia’s harsh and remotely located prison facilities within weeks. Griner pleaded guilty to the charges hoping she would find mercy from the Russian courts, but she was given a particularly harsh sentence.
Griner’s lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said they were “very disappointed” in Tuesday’s ruling.
“Brittney’s biggest fear is that she is not exchanged and will have to serve the whole sentence in Russia,” they said. “She had hopes for today as each month, each day away from her family and friends matters to her.”
President Biden has called for the sports star to be returned to the US and there have been suggestions that a prisoner swap may be negotiated.
OIP Staff
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